Linking Your Comment to Theirs
A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on discussion rules and on linking a comment explicitly to what somebody else said.
Linking Your Comment to Theirs is a free 40-minute Grade 2 English lesson plan for Common Core standard SL.2.1 — discuss a topic in a group, linking your comment to what was just said. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- SL.2.1
Grade 2 · Speaking & Listening
SL.2.1
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Objective
Students will be able to link their comment to a named earlier remark and add something to it.
Students are successful when they can
- Names or restates what the earlier speaker said.
- Adds something new.
- Stays on the topic.
What you need
- A discussion question with no single answer
- Sentence stems on card
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — restate before you speak
5 min- One student makes a comment. The next must restate it before adding theirs.
- Go round four. Notice how the restating slows the talk down usefully.
Teach — the link is a sentence, not a word
13 min- Model a linked comment: name the person, say what they said, then add.
- Model a fake link: 'like Sam said' followed by something Sam did not say.
- Ask Sam whether that was what they said. It usually was not.
- Say the rule: the link has to be accurate, or it is decoration.
- Model disagreeing with a link, politely and specifically.
“You said 'like Sam said'. Sam, is that what you said?”
Guided practice — chain of six
12 min- Groups of six hold a discussion where every comment links to the previous one.
- The previous speaker confirms or corrects the restatement.
- Run it twice — the second is always better.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the discussion page.
- It gives two comments and asks for a linked third.
Close
2 min- Make a statement. Take a linked response and check the link.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says 'like Sam said' and then says something else.
Why: The stem has been learned as a politeness rather than as a claim.
Fix: Ask Sam. One check in front of the class makes the link mean something.
Restates and adds nothing.
Why: The restating filled the turn.
Fix: The link is the first half of the sentence. There has to be a second half.
Links to the topic rather than to a person.
Why: The topic is easier to hold on to than who said what.
Fix: Require a name. Naming forces attention to the individual speaker.
If they are not there yet
- Give the sentence stem printed.
- Groups of three rather than six.
If they finish early
- Link to something said two turns ago.
- Disagree with a link and a reason.
- Summarise the whole chain at the end.
Exit ticket
Sam said the ending was unfair. Write a comment that links to that and adds something.
What to look for: An accurate restatement plus new content. A stem with nothing after it is half a turn.
Printable practice for SL.2.1
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Linking Your Comment to TheirsFinish each sentence.
Questions about Linking Your Comment to Theirs
How long does the Linking Your Comment to Theirs lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Linking Your Comment to Theirs teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 — SL.2.1, Speaking & Listening for Grade 2: “Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.” In plain terms, discuss a topic in a group, linking your comment to what was just said.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A discussion question with no single answer, sentence stems on card and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says 'like Sam said' and then says something else; restates and adds nothing and links to the topic rather than to a person. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Sam said the ending was unfair. Write a comment that links to that and adds something.” An accurate restatement plus new content. A stem with nothing after it is half a turn. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Linking Your Comment to Theirs?
Yes — 1 printable SL.2.1 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Linking Your Comment to Theirs free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to SL.2.1 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.